Caught
by FreakLove713
Summary: After Duncan and baby Lilly make it to Mexico and the FBI has left Neptune, Sheriff Don Lamb decides to investigate Veronica on his own. She finds him snooping around, and together they uncover something neither had expected or hoped for in a long time.


Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my crazy plot bunnies.

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He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but Sheriff Don Lamb knew that there had to be some traces left of that Kane kid and his daughter in her room. He didn't care that the FBI had already been there, didn't care that he was the one who actually drove Kane across the border – ok, so he did care about that part. If anyone found out, he'd be the laughing stock of the Sheriff's Association of California. Actually, no, probably of the entire country. But it wouldn't bug him so much if he had Little Miss Perfect in a holding cell awaiting trial for conspiracy, or at least aiding and abetting.

Looking at his watch, Lamb almost laughed out loud. He had nearly four hours before the pain-in-the-ass junior detective was even on her way home, and that's if she didn't have any "cases" she was working or had to stop at the office for anything. The office – now that had been a waste of his time. Nothing, literally nothing, on the Kane kid or even the family could be found. He guessed Keith had actually been truthful when he said he had handed everything over to the sheriff's department. Not that he should be surprised, the former sheriff was nothing if not honest.

_Where should I start? She hid every trace of her involvement from the FBI, but I bet she had some help from dear old dad. Or maybe not. Maybe Keith didn't even know; it's not as if she's a share-and-share-alike kind of person._

So without any idea as to where to start, Lamb decided to do the next best thing. He'd start at the wall next to her door and move counter-clockwise slowly and meticulously. Normally he didn't put this much effort into solving cases. He let the deputies down at the station earn their stars this way -- but he wanted her. If anyone was going to get her, it was going to be him. She had been a thorn in his side for a long time now, and he was finally going to get some payback.

Soon he lost himself in the rhythm of the search and didn't even notice how quickly time was passing.

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It had been a really long day. _Not that that was unusual anymore_, she thought. Everyone was staring at her, whispering. Talking about her like she wasn't even there. _That's not so unusual either._

All she had to do was get through her last two classes, and then she could go home for the weekend. Home to be alone; Keith was out chasing another bail jumper. Reno this time -- at least that's where she thought he'd gone. _Or I could go to the office. Get a head start on that pile of cases._ She shook her head and grimaced. _What kind of 18 year old am I? My dad's out of town, and I want to work! Sure, I'm not exactly the throw an extravagant and highly illegal party type – not that many people would come – but I could at least go home, put on some comfy clothes, dig the Ben and Jerry's out of the freezer and settle in for a night of pure indulgence. Watch all the movies Dad and Wallace complain about, blast some angry chic rock…_

Suddenly, life didn't seem so bad for Veronica Mars.

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For once English Lit. had been entertaining, keeping Veronica's mind off the notes that were passing around her like a maelstrom. But when the bell rang and she left the relative comfort of her chair, she realized that the whispers were growing louder and the stares were a little harder. It was as if the volume had been turned up on everything around her. If you could turn up the volume on staring, that is. Looking around her, with her last class on the other side of the building, Veronica began to think – and not for the first time either – that calculus was a waste of time for a future FBI agent, and there really wasn't any good reason she couldn't skip out early. _It's not like I'm not three chapters ahead of everyone else anyway. And really Ben and Jerry shouldn't have to wait for any man … or woman._

She quickly ran to her locker, threw all her books into it, and -- making sure she had her laptop, Sidekick and keys – left the building just as the bell was ringing to signal the beginning of the last class of the day. The Le Baron was parked in its usual spot and within seconds Joan Jett was blaring from the speakers. _Maybe it will be a good weekend after all._

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Sheriff Lamb had made it almost the entire way around the room and still hadn't found anything to tie Veronica to Duncan's escape to Mexico. All that was left was the bookcase. _This should be easy._ And lifting an eyebrow at the fact that the bulging bookcase didn't collapse when he removed a keepsake box from one of the bottom cubes, Lamb continued what he considered to be a perilous journey into the mind of Mars.

Ten minutes later he was still on the same box. _Guess she meant it when she said, "An organized person is just someone who's too lazy to look for things." _ To keep track of what he was finding he had automatically begun sorting it into piles – concert tickets, notes from Lilly, old SLAM notebooks, movie stubs, report cards. You name it; it was in that box – except for anything remotely close to what he was looking for. Almost growling in frustration, Lamb shoved all the paraphernalia haphazardly back into the box and put it back in its place. He took a few steps away from the bookcase and shook his head. He had no idea how he was going to get through it all in – as he looked at his watch, Lamb realized how much time he had actually spent in the girl's room – there were only 30 minutes until Neptune High let out! _Looks like this will have to be more of a quick perusal than a thorough search effort. _And scratching his head, he got down to business.

In one of the middle cubes, Lamb noticed a forest of picture frames. All shapes, all sizes, all colors. He quickly glanced at one picture after another, until something sparkly pink and fuzzy caught his eye. It was at the very back of the shelf, and for some reason, it looked oddly familiar to him. Suddenly he reached his hand out and grabbed it. As he brought it forward he remembered … it looked like a picture frame that he had given to her years ago. Back when he came over to the Mars' house every Sunday for a barbeque or picnic. Veronica had loved it. She had told him she would keep it forever, and the only pictures it was allowed to have in it would be pictures of them together. As the picture came into the light, Lamb's eyes bugged out a little. It actually was the frame he had given her, and true to her word, it held a picture of the two of them. He couldn't believe it! She had a picture of him in her house! That's not just unlikely; that's completely unfathomable. Lamb studied the picture more closely – it looked like he was giving her a piggyback ride – and he began to remember the day it had been taken …

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_It was a Sunday. Deputy Don Lamb had been in town for a little over two years, and he loved his job. Plus, he had the greatest boss in Sheriff Mars. _

_When Lamb had been new in town, Sheriff Mars "Please, call me Keith." had invited him over to his house to meet his family and have a decent meal. "Young single guy like you. You're probably eating take-out or frozen dinners every night, am I right?" And boy, was he ever. Lamb didn't really know anyone in town except people he met at the station – and that's not exactly the easiest or best place to make friends._

_The first time he arrived at the Mars' front door, it was unceremoniously thrown open and a girl – running backwards, yelling, "Come on Back-up!" – tackled him to the ground. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I hope I didn't break you or anything. You must be the new guy at the sheriff's office. I'm Veronica, by the way." The words tumbling out of her mouth as she got up and dusted herself off. Lamb just lay there, gaping. She was beautiful – for a kid, he reminded himself. Suddenly she stuck out her hand, offering to help him up. And as he reached for it, a pit bull puppy came rushing out the door and ran smack into him. "Back-up, seriously, you have the worst timing. Now the deputy's going to think we're all out to get him." And with that, she reached down, grabbed the puppy in one hand, and forcibly tried to pull Lamb off the ground with the other. She looked embarrassed, even though she was smiling and laughing. "Puppy got your tongue?" The faint blush that appeared on her cheeks when he didn't answer finally snapped Lamb out of his reverie. _

"_Sorry. Just a little stunned. I didn't know Sheriff Mars had a daughter who was on the football team," he said._

_Snorting, "Football? Oh, I'm sure Mom would love that!"_

"_What? Not a sports fan?"_

"_Not if it's going to wrinkle her daughter's dress. And somehow I think football has a little too much contact in it for there not to be wrinkles."_

_Laughing, "Oh, there would definitely be wrinkles."_

_Smiling at him, Veronica turned towards the still open door and yelled in, "Hey Dad! New guy's here. And he passed the Veronica test!"_

_When she turned back to him, Lamb looked at her a little confused. "Don't worry," she whispered confidentially. "It's a good thing you did. Last guy who failed got fired within the week," winking at him as her dad came out of the house. "Don! Good to see you. Glad you could come! So you passed the Veronica test? No one's done that in – what has it been, honey? – three years?" Giggling, Veronica nodded her affirmative, but when Keith turned his head away, she changed it to the negative. Lamb saw the sudden change and smiled. After that they were fast friends._

_Two years after that first meal, Lamb had become a fixture at the Mars' house on Sundays. Once Keith had seen how much his wife and daughter enjoyed having the young deputy around, he made sure that Lamb always had Sundays free and an open invitation to join the family. And there was no way Lamb wasn't taking him up on the offer. Usually, before they ate, he and Veronica would go for a walk, play basketball or run to the market if Lianne needed anything. Neither of them were allowed to help cook anything because the few times Lianne had let them, it had ended in a food fight and an extremely dirty kitchen. _

_This week, he had decided they'd do something a little different. As he grabbed the football out of his car when they got to the beach, Veronica just laughed at him and shook her head. "Two people does not a football game make, Don."_

"_Well," he had shrugged, "we can at least work on your passing game." Ever since that first meeting, Lamb had teased her that if she didn't practice, she'd never make it out of the pep squad and on to the field. Veronica didn't mind – in fact, Lamb was pretty sure she enjoyed having their own private joke … just as much as he did. She was a beautiful girl with a great personality, and he would occasionally find himself thinking "if only she were a few years older" or "I have more fun with her than I do with women my own age."_

_They were having a great time, throwing the ball around and occasionally tackling each other to the ground, when all of a sudden it started to rain. Veronica wasn't the kind of girl who minded, when Lamb motioned to the car, she said, "What? Afraid of a little water, Bobcat?" He quickly replied, "I can handle it if you can, Goldilocks." So they kept on playing._

_Ten minutes later, Veronica was running for a ball and tripped, falling pretty hard. In a second, Lamb was by her side, asking if she was ok. She simply shrugged and said, "More embarrassed than anything." Trying to laugh it off she continued, "Guess I'm riding the bench again this year." But when she went to stand up, Lamb thought he saw a little grimace cross her face. Without saying a word, he lifted her into his arms and began carrying her back to the car. Once she realized he was serious about carrying her the entire way, Veronica started to squirm against him, protesting that she could walk. But he didn't put her down until they reached the passenger side door. When she was in the car, he slid across the hood and got into the driver's seat. The action had the desired effect – Veronica started to laugh and began to forget about her less-than-graceful tumble. Suddenly Lamb turned to her saying, "Goldilocks, you never have to be embarrassed around me. Everything you do is … well, I wouldn't have it any other way." Before she could respond, he turned the car on and the radio filled it with loud music. They drove back to the Mars' house without saying another word._

_Lamb had begun to get out of the car, when he felt Veronica pulling at his shirt. He turned around to see what she wanted, and there it was – the patented I-Need-A-Favor grin. He almost shrugged it off and continued out of the car when she added the head tilt, and in a lilting voice said, "Bobcat…" He couldn't deny her anything when she combined the grin with the tilt and the voice; he doubted anyone could. Pretending to be annoyed, he huffed, "Whaddya want, Goldilocks?"_

"_Well, it's just so wet outside. And the rain is coming down harder. And it's so far to the house. And…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Well I'm afraid that I'll hurt myself again," she said with a smile, almost laughing. "Do you think you could give me a piggyback ride?"_

"_Veronica…" Damn! And there was the grin and head tilt again. "Fine. Hold on a second."_

_Lamb circled around to her side of the car and opened her door. He turned around and said, "Climb on board." He knew that what he said could be taken a multitude of ways, but he was counting on her not knowing that. With a quick hop and a giggle, she had her legs wrapped tightly around him and her arms loosely linked over his shoulders. She nuzzled her head into his neck, and he couldn't believe how right it felt._

_Keith must have seen them pull into the driveway and Veronica's subsequent wheedling to get a piggyback ride, because as Lamb neared the front door, the sheriff appeared holding a camera. It wasn't the first picture Lamb would have taken with a member of the Mars' household and it certainly wouldn't be the last. He liked that this was a family who took the time to capture their good memories. It wasn't anything like his family. He stopped moving towards the house when Keith held his hand up. Jiggling her slightly, Lamb whispered to Veronica, "Hey Goldilocks, you're on 'Candid Camera.' Smile!" When she looked up, they were both temporarily blinded by the bright flash, and then Keith walked away mumbling something about exposure times. When they reached the covered porch, Lamb set Veronica gently on the ground. She looked up at him with joy and a little mischief in her eyes, saying, "Thanks Bobcat," before sauntering into the house._

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"Anytime, Goldilocks," he whispered, still lost in the memory.

"How about right now, deputy?" Lamb nearly jumped out of his own skin when he heard a reply to the words that had been missed less than four years ago. "Puppy got your tongue?" When she didn't get a response, she turned to Back-up griping, "Some guard dog you are."

Lamb quickly put the picture down and held his hands up in a gesture of peace. "This isn't what it looks like Mars. I just…"

"You just decided to break into my house, go through my personal things, take a walk down memory lane, maybe drug my dog into submission…"

"Hey now, Back-up and I have always been buds. Right boy?" The pit bull began to growl in response.

"I wasn't finished yet deputy. It's so rude to interrupt, especially when you're the one in my house without being invited. Now what do they call that? Oh that's right, a crime. I wonder who I could call to report this… The local sheriff's office perhaps? Hmmm, I wonder what they would do. Laugh at me, right? Isn't that what you taught them?"

"Alright Mars. I get the picture. I'll just be leaving then…"

"What and not finish your search? Duncan's not here, Lamb," gesturing around her room. "As I'm sure even an idiot like you can see, there's nowhere for him to hide."

Growling in frustration, "I know he's not here Mars. I'm the one that drove him across the border, remember!?!?!"

Smiling sadly, "Deputy, I'm surprised…helping a fugitive from the law…that's just so unlike you."

"Damn it Veronica! I'm the sheriff, now. Not your dad! And that's his own fault."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Turning her back on him, her shoulders immediately fell and she slowly walked from the room. "I guess it is his fault since he believed in a vulture like you. It's not like you put the wrong man in prison or anything, either. Not like you broke his family."

Lamb had remained frozen in place. Sure he was used to her vitriol, but he'd never seen her so accepting…almost acting as if the world had defeated her. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to walk out of the room, go to her and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to protect her from the barbs and stings of the cruel world – well, at least the ones she hadn't already experienced. He wanted to tell her that he never stopped considering her his Goldilocks. But he knew he didn't have the luxury of doing those things, knew that if he even attempted them, he'd be in for a world of hurt. So instead, he just picked up the picture, turned off the lights, left the room and shut the door quietly.

She was slumped on a kitchen stool eating something when he came into the room. She didn't turn towards him or even acknowledge his presence. Lamb walked toward her quietly, carefully, and he placed the picture on the counter next to her. Veronica knew which picture it was without even looking. She knew it when she heard him say "Goldilocks," knew it couldn't be any picture but the one of the two of them. It was taken a long time ago and he had done so much to wrong her, her family, since then, but no matter what he did, she couldn't seem to get rid of that picture.

"I'll be at the station when your dad wants to yell at me." He had no doubts that she would be sharing this little visit with Keith. There was no reason not to – Keith already knew about Duncan and the baby, already hated Lamb. He was heading to the door, actually had his hand on the doorknob, when he heard something. It almost sounded like a whimper. "You say something, Mars?"

Clearing her throat and straightening her shoulders a little, "I said, 'He's not here.' In town that is. A case took him to Reno or somewhere." A little quieter, "And he won't know that you were here."

Scowling, "Why not? Want to keep this to yourself? Hold it over my head the next time you get in trouble?"

Shaking her head, "Nothing like that, deputy." Then she did something he really didn't expect from the pint-sized detective. She got down off the stool, went to a drawer and removed a spoon. Setting it in front of the other chair at the kitchen island, she nodded to it. "Have a seat and have some." And then, almost inaudibly, "Unless you have somewhere you'd rather be."

Don Lamb wasn't sure what to make of this unusual – and hospitable – attitude of Veronica's. If he didn't know her so well…_I do know her that well though…she really wants me to stay?!?_ It wasn't like her to just forgive and forget everything for a little bit of company – any company, let alone his. So he sat down, silently, picked up his spoon, shoveled some ice cream in his mouth and waited for her to make the next move.

_What did I just do? Why did I just do that? I'm sitting down with my most mortal of mortal enemies…or something. This isn't right. It's against the natural order. … But it hasn't always been that way. He used to be your friend Veronica. Your very good friend that you were just the littlest bit in love with. Okay, a lot of bit in love with if we're being honest. And who doesn't tell you the truth if not the voice in your head._

As she looked over at her companion, Veronica noticed something: He was the Don she remembered right now, not the snarky jackass she was used to running into at the station. And that realization made her happier than she thought she could be after everything that had happened. _Happier than I have a right to be._ Suddenly it didn't matter that she had sworn to hate him forever and bring him down. What mattered was that he was there and they had a history full of happy stories that gave her joy. Stories that she didn't like to admit she thought about on a regular basis, when she was feeling down or having problems with her boyfriend of the moment. _Cause if you're honest with yourself Veronica, they are all for the moment since Don…_

And suddenly the silence was too much and she couldn't think about what she was thinking about a second longer. Somebody needed to say something, and Veronica knew that somebody would have to be her. So she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, "I miss riding you."

And with those four words, the world as she knew it shattered. Veronica blushed bright red as Don swiveled toward her with his eyebrow cocked –_ so sexy_ – ready to tease her mercilessly for that slip of tongue. She knew what was coming, and resolutely turned toward him, ready to take it head on. But the words died on his lips when he saw her expression: Sure, she was flustered and embarrassed, who wouldn't be, and she was obviously preparing herself for the onslaught of his cruel and vulgar humor. However she wasn't using her "detective stare" so he could see the truth behind her words, the loss and sadness, and the smallest glimmer of something he could only hope was desire.

Deciding to test his theory, Don reached out and started playing with a strand of Veronica's hair, twirling it around his finger ever so gently and tugging a bit. He was so unsure of how this would be received that he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. But when no threats of amputation came his way, he slowly raised his gaze. What he saw took his breath away: Veronica Mars at peace.

"I miss you too … Goldilocks." Her eyes flashed when he used her old pet name, and he began to withdraw his hand. Before he could retreat completely, Veronica grabbed his hand in both of hers, her spoon clattering to the counter in the process.

"Don't stop," she whispered. And so he didn't. Don's hand resumed its previous activity, and he found himself getting lost in Veronica's eyes.

"I won't ever, not if you don't want me to." _Please god tell me I didn't sound as in love with her as I think I did. I mean, this could be a fleeting truce and if it is she'll know and then she'll store the knowledge away for later when she can use it to do the most damage._

His words were rewarded with a smile – a real smile, not one of those tight-lipped, cop-out smiles she'd gotten so used to doling out to those around her. The silence surrounded them again, but this time it was more comfortable.

Veronica sat there and just enjoyed being treated like a normal girl, staring into Don's eyes, hoping the feeling – _whatever it is I am feeling_ – would last forever. Her practical side was trying to exert itself however: _You know this can't last forever. And don't fool yourself. You know what you're feeling. You've felt it before, and only with him. But where did that leave you last time, huh? Do you remember? There was pain and confusion and anger and loss and more pain._

_What is she thinking? I can't tell what she's thinking. Does she want me to stop? Is this a mistake? I don't care if it is a mistake; I wouldn't give this up for anything. It feels so right having her next to me. I wonder if she feels the same way. I could ask her. No I couldn't. Yes I could. The worst that could happen is she'll mock me, and I've endured that before. Nothing new there. I can't risk having her pull away, but what if…_

It was too much for Don, and almost as if against his will his mouth opened and words began to tumble out, "Goldilocks… Veronica, what is this? I mean I know what this is, I'm not that stupid no matter what you've said over the past year or so. But what does it mean? I know what it means to me, but if doesn't mean the same thing to you then it needs to stop. I need to stop. I can't go through another dramatic break-up. Not that we were ever together, cause god you were underage. Not that because you're 18 now is why I'm here. But if you're just, I don't know, humoring me then it needs to stop. You're acting like the old you, the you that I knew, and I don't know what to do with that. I know what I'd like to do about it…"

Veronica interrupted with another dazzling smile, "Not that there's anything wrong with stream of consciousness, Sheriff, but it does make it difficult for the other person to respond." Sometime during his rant Don had stopped playing with Veronica's hair, and as she responded she placed her hand in his and intertwined their fingers.

"Wait. You just called me sheriff. You haven't done that since…well, you've never done that."

"I knew there was a reason I like you Bobcat," giving his hand a quick squeeze. "So quick with the thinking…"

Staring at their hands as if they belonged to two other people, he stopped the rest of Veronica's quip by placing a finger on her lips. "What is this, Veronica?"

Suddenly feeling insecure she slowly began to pull her hand away, "I must have misunderstood. I'm sorry. You can leave now. God, I'm such an idiot. I just thought that…"

"Thought what?" Don prompted as he tightened his grip on her hand.

He almost couldn't hear her when she replied, "Thought that you felt the same way about me that I feel about you."

"Well you're wrong," and Don paused unsure of how to continue. Veronica took his pause to mean he was done, and tears welled up in her downcast eyes. "I don't hate you Veronica."

"But…"

"No, let me finish. I don't hate you. In fact, I feel quite the opposite." And with those simple words he tilted her chin up and waited for her to look into his eyes before he continued. He didn't have to wait very long. "Goldilocks, I'm falling in love with you. I've been falling in love with you ever since the first time you barreled into me. And every time you've done it since – whether physically or metaphorically – I've fallen a little bit more."

"But…"

"Are you going to say you don't feel the same way?" Veronica slowly shook her head no. "Then what?" he asked gently.

"I was just going to… I was going to say that I'm not falling." At Don's crestfallen look, she quickly finished her thought, "I'm already in love with you, Bobcat. I don't know why after all we've been through that I still feel the way I did before it all, but I do. And I'm not going to run from that anymore."

With that declaration, Don slowly stood up and pulled Veronica with him. She willingly went into his arms, face upturned and a sparkle in her eyes. Don stared at her for a long moment, trying to reassure himself that she was really there, that they were really about to do this. His scrutiny and inaction were too much for Veronica, so she did what she always did; she took charge of the situation. Running her hands up his back and around his shoulders, Veronica pulled Don to her for a heated kiss. Mouths fused, tongues dueling, hands gently caressing each other. It was better than either of them had ever imagined.

They broke apart when the need for oxygen became too much. Don leaned his forehead against Veronica's, breathing in her scent and wondering at the blissful calm of the moment. Slowly her eyes opened and focused on his, a seductive grin forming as she saw the love swirling in Don's eyes and fully took in his reaction to their kiss.

"What's going on in that head of yours Bobcat?"

"Two things really: One is I can't wait to do that again and as many times as you'll let me…"

"I couldn't agree with you more Don. That and much more." Which she promptly demonstrated by dipping in for a second kiss and letting one of her hands slowly trail down his chest and abdomen, to stop at the top button of his pants which she released with a quick flick of her wrist. "Much, much more. And what was two?"

"Two?" Don repeated slightly confused as her actions had completely stopped his train of thought. "Oh, two!" With a slight chuckle as he hugged her, "That I don't know why I'm so surprised that this finally happened."

Now it was Veronica's turn to be confused. She arched an eyebrow and said, "Why's that?"

Don chuckled again, squeezing her into a tight embrace. When he released her, he grabbed her right hand and started leading her back to her bedroom. When they were about halfway down the hall, he looked over his shoulder and said with a shrug and a sly grin, "Cause Veronica Mars always gets her man."


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